BATON ROUGE – The LSU Tigers began preparations on Monday for Wednesday night’s basketball contest with nationally-ranked Florida at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The game is set for 8 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans will receive a special “jersey” cap commemorating Shaquille O’Neal’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction.
The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates (Eagle 98.1 FM) and at LSUsports.net/live with the telecast on the SEC Network.
Tickets are available at the LSU Athletic Ticket Office and online at LSUtix.net. On game night, tickets will be available at the upper concourse ticket windows of the Maravich Center at 6:30 p.m.
The Tigers are 9-9 and 1-6 and will be trying to win their first conference home game while the Gators are 14-5 and 5-2, although they are coming off a week of back-to-back losses, including a 68-66 fall to Vanderbilt on Saturday in Gainesville. The Gators are ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll.
Coach Johnny Jones met with the media on Monday afternoon and here are some of his comments:
LSU Men’s Basketball
January 23, 2017
HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening statement…
“After coming back off the road playing what we consider a really talented and tough Arkansas basketball team, I thought we continued to battle, unfortunately we fell short and just couldn’t get over the hump there late. We couldn’t get the necessary stops or make the necessary baskets down there at the end be it free throws or shots to make a difference in that ballgame. We’re looking forward to a tremendous challenge Wednesday against a Florida team that has played really well all season long. They’ve gotten off to a great start in conference play. They’re sitting there in the top 25. It’s another great opportunity for us to try to get back on the right track in winning. We know it’s going be a tough challenge for us. They’re a group that’s playing as well as anyone outside of Kentucky right now in the league, but it’s one we look forward to.”
On end of game situations…
“I think it’s just a combination of things. I’m not sure if the focus is it or if it’s just a by-product of where we’ve been during the year and doing some of the same things. One is getting back defensively, that’s something we’ve talked about. That’s not a focus thing, that’s just a learned habit. We got beat over the top and they scored some easy baskets. Unfortunately we gave up 32 points on either dunks or layups in that game. The team scored 99 points and you have to be able to take some of those away. Some of those are self-inflicted. We didn’t do a great job of getting back defensively and we have to do a better job of that. I think a lot of things go into that like youthfulness. At the same time those guys have to be able transfer from the practice to games and from scouting reports to games. As we do that I think we’ll continue to make progress.”
On if there is end of game fatigue…
“You know we thought at the beginning of the (SEC) that would be a great advantage to us because that’s how we played throughout the season. Even the games we won early on we were coming from behind, be it halftime deficits or at the end of games and learning how to win late. We thought those were great lessons for our guys. We’ve been in some similar situations that haven’t gone our way. At least we’ve continued to put ourselves in positions to battle and be in that spot. We’re hopeful that the script will flip and we’ll be on the other side of it.”
On looking for a break-through…
“Every game you look for the opportunity to break through, it’s significant for us. That’s why you really look for that opportunity to make some plays at the end that we’ve been close in and winning games. That’s why I think guys keep playing with edge and it is hard. We’ve got to make sure we’re able to put that 40 minutes together. We know that it’s not going to be perfect, but as close as we can get to it it’s going to give us a much better opportunity for success. We have to give ourselves that chance by trying to play as close to that 40 minutes as we possibly can.”
On Skylar being more aggressive…
“He’s had some really super games for us. I thought the way he played the other night took us back to the Bahamas where he had the same type play. He has the ability to make those type plays. He’s a really good lead guard who’s done a tremendous job of distributing, sharing the basketball, and creating opportunities for his teammates. He’s shown that he’s a very capable scorer and I thought the other night he was trying to will us to a victory. He made a lot of positive plays for us in that game.”
On getting players to have big games together…
“I think if you look back (at Auburn) to when (Aaron) Epps had a super game along with Elbert Robinson, both of those guys did a good job. If you can get Skylar to play the way he’s capable of and what he’s done for us. I think he and (Jalyn) Patterson have been really steady for us. I think Patterson hasn’t shot the ball as well as we’d like but he’s been a steady guard out there for us. He takes care of the ball and hasn’t turned it over. He’s really gotten our offense going. That’s why I think both of those guys have been so good out there on the floor together. I think it’s going to take a group effort. It’s not going to be just one individual, I think to turn us around it’s going to have to be a lot of guys that are going to have to play well. I don’t think we can just play well on the offensive end of the floor, but I think defensively as well all five guys have to play well defensively. I know I’ve been harping on it since last March, April about where we need to get better defensively, but it doesn’t seem that we have. That’s an area and an issue that I think continues to jump out the headers and that’s where I think the difference is in whether we’re going to win or lose games.”
On improvement…
“We’ve certainly had signs. You’ve seen times where the score gone from 10 to 25 to 30 really quick. These guys have been able to make adjustments where we’ve gotten down 10 or 12 points and been able to fight back and get it to two or three points. That’s because they’ve done a good job defensively and at the same time offensively as well. They came down and made the necessary plays on the offensive end to make a difference. So that balance has been there. They’ve grown from that aspect, but we’ve got along ways to go.”
On the three freshman’s play (Skylar Mays, Wayde Sims, Kieran Hayward) …
“I think Sims and Mays have been outstanding for us in the plays they’ve made and the situations they’ve been put in. They’ve had to log some valuable minutes for us. Kieran has come in and played and done some things not necessarily knowing whether he would be counted on this year. He’s been put in some tough situations as well and has really competed for us in those games. We haven’t been hesitant to put him in. I think Mays and Sims have been a good surprise for us in how they’ve delivered as freshman. We’ve been pleased with their effort.”
On if the team has an “us against the world” attitude…
“No, we never do. The only thing we focus on is what we do in practice, because outside is not in practice. Outside is not on that 94-by-50 where we play. Guys are going to be exposed to whatever it is in terms of what their surroundings are. They know whenever they get here where our focus is. That’s something that we’re able to drive home with them, that and areas where we have to get better. The big thing is we have a great support group and fan base that’s fighting with us and for us. They’ve done a great job of supporting us. We’ve got to continue fighting and doing a great job so we can certainly reward them at the end of the day.”
On Skylar Mays’ improvement of play…
“I just think it kind of goes with who he is, what he stands for, and his focus. He’s a very driven kid not only on the basketball floor but also away from it. I think that has generated a lot of why he’s so successful. He’s a very dedicated and focused young man. If you watch him play, he plays with a purpose. It means a great deal to him and he’s passionate about what he’s doing. I think we can really see that in his play.”
On hosting Florida…
“It would be a huge for us. Hopefully we can get back on the winning track. Florida was picked to finish at the top of the league along with Kentucky, so it would be huge for our guys in a lot of ways. That’s our goal, to go out and show we’re capable of competing, that we’ve improved, and showing we’ve gotten better. There’s not a place to hopefully be able to get that turned around then here at home against a team that we really think is well balanced. They have a lot of guys back from last year that impact their team. (KeVaughn) Allen is a tremendous shooter. They have a transfer in (Canyon) Barry who came from College of Charleston and he’s a tremendous shooter for them. They have a center that is a very strong and active player. Their point guards are probably as quick as anybody else in the conference. They certainly pose a great challenge for us, one that we’re going to have to make sure we step up and meet.”